The present exemplary embodiment relates to welding torches of the kind that are used by welders in industry, where the torch is intended to be held in the hand of the welder for hours at a stretch. It is all too often the case that the welder develops painful symptoms, or at least fatigue, in the hand and wrist, from holding the torch. It is not so much that the torch is heavy in itself, but the problem is that the torch has a hose or pipe connecting it to the welding service center, and the hose can impose a constant drag on the torch, making the torch cumbersome and difficult to manipulate.
It is part of the welding torch operator's task to hold the torch, in his hand, perhaps for hours. The service hose of the torch contains the electricity supply, the consumable welding wire, the inert-gas supply, the cooling water circulation conduits, and perhaps a vacuum suction hose for extracting the fumes, which, even to the habitual expert welder, can make the torch seem extremely heavy after a while.
One of the problems is that the welder must grip the torch handle in his hand, and must grip it quite tightly, in order to manipulate the torch and hose, and to hold the torch in position. Plus, it is in the nature of welding that the grip must be maintained at all times: the torch cannot be held steady, by resting the torch against something. It is also recognized that much of the fatigue of the hands experienced by welders arises rather from the need to maintain a tight gripping hold on the torch, using the fingers of the torch hand, in order to maintain the correct orientation of the torch, than from actually moving and positioning the torch, using the wrist.
Previous attempts to make it easier to grip the torch handle have been in the areas of making the handle curved to better fit the natural shape of the hand, or of having recessed finger grips moulded into the (plastic) handle. However, many of these attempts do not make the handle adjustable for various sizes and shapes of hands.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an ergonomic handle attachment which is adjustable to accommodate various shapes and sizes of hands and various gripping positions of hands.